Jets coordinator Chan Gailey retires, still thinks Ryan Fitzpatrick can win games

Gailey is 64 years old and is ready to call it a career

Chan Gailey is a veteran NFL coach who has had plenty of success as an offensive coordinator. This success did not find him in 2016, and on the heels of a punchless Jets offense ranking among the worst in the league, Gailey, 64, has decided to retire.

"I informed Coach [Todd] Bowles prior to the 2016 season that I would retire after this season," Gailey said in a statement, according to the Jets website. "I thought it was best to tell him early, so that he could begin to think about how he would move the team forward on offense. While we did not have the season we all wanted to have, I think there are some great people here at the Jets and in the New York/New Jersey area. I wish them all the best moving forward."

The Jets also parted ways with five other assistants: quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo, running backs coach Marcel Shipp, defensive line coach Pepper Johnson, outside linebackers coach Mark Collins and defensive backs coach Joe Danna.

According to Football Outsiders' metrics, the Jets ranked 31st in offense (19th in rushing, 31st in passing), better only than the Rams. The biggest issue: Ryan Fitzpatrick, who had a career year in 2015, ranked 32nd in QB efficiency this season, ahead of only Brock Osweiler and Jared Goff. And when Fitzpatrick was benched, backup Geno Smith didn't even make it one game before suffering an injury, and Bryce Petty got four starts before an injury knocked him out of the season finale.

But Gailey thinks Fitzpatrick can still play.

"He's got the mind to be able to go out there and compete every week, there's no question about that," Gailey said, via ESPN.com's Rich Cimini. "He's able to go do that and compete and win a game. There's no question he can do that. ... Everybody's physical skills wane with years once you reach your peak. He still has a lot of skills. Are they what they were the first time I saw him? No, they're not."

Either way, Fitzpatrick is done in New York and whoever replaces Gailey will need to find a quarterback. It's not clear that quarterback is currently on the roster, even though the Jets used a 2016 second-round pick on Christian Hackenberg, who didn't see the field as a rookie.

Bowles also weighed in on Gailey's departure.

"I'm grateful to Chan for joining our coaching staff and enjoyed working with him," he said. "The respect that I have for him as a person and a coach only increased during our time together."